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Kamasi Washington

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Kamasi Washington
Washington at the BRIC JazzFest Marathon, Brooklyn, New York, 2015
Washington at the BRIC JazzFest Marathon, Brooklyn, New York, 2015
Background information
Born (1981-02-18) February 18, 1981 (age 43)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSaxophone
LabelsBrainfeeder
WebsiteKamasiWashington.com

Kamasi Washington (born February 18, 1981) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, producer, and bandleader. Washington is known mainly for playing tenor saxophone.[1]

Background

Washington was born in Los Angeles, California,[2] to musical parents and educators, and was raised in Inglewood, California. He is a graduate of the Academy of Music of Alexander Hamilton High School in Beverlywood, Los Angeles.[1] Washington next enrolled in UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology, where he began playing with faculty members such as Kenny Burrell, Billy Higgins and band leader/trumpeter Gerald Wilson. Washington released the album Young Jazz Giants in 2004.[3] He has since played along with a musically diverse group of musicians including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Horace Tapscott, Gerald Wilson, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Snoop Dogg,[4] George Duke, Chaka Khan, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Mike Muir, Francisco Aguabella, the Pan Afrikaan People's Orchestra and Raphael Saadiq. Washington ventured into big band music when he joined the Gerald Wilson Orchestra for their 2006 album In My Time.[5] Washington played saxophone on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly.[6] His debut solo recording, The Epic, was released in May 2015 to critical acclaim.[7]

Awards

Music festivals and benefits

Discography

As leader

  • Live at 5th Street Dick's, (self-released, 2005)
  • The Proclamation, (self-released, 2007)
  • Light of the World, (self-released, 2008)
  • The Epic, (Brainfeeder, 2015)[10]

As sideman

With Throttle Elevator Music

  • Throttle Elevator Music (Wide Hive, 2012)
  • Area J (Wide Hive, 2014)
  • Jagged Rocks (Wide Hive, 2015)
  • Throttle Elevator Music IV (Wide Hive, 2016)[11]

With the Gerald Wilson Orchestra

References

  1. ^ a b Serrano, Shea (2012-07-05). "Music Picks: Hootenanny, The Moonbeams, Kamasi Washington". www.laweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  2. ^ Welch, Will. "Meet Kamasi Washington, the High Priest of Sax." GQ, January 5, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  3. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Kamasi Washington | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Listen to Kamasi Washington Talk Kendrick, Coltrane, More With Marc Maron on "WTF"". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
  5. ^ Blanco, Edward. "Gerald Wilson Orchestra: In My Time." www.allaboutjazz.com, January 4, 2006.
  6. ^ Weiner, Natalie (March 26, 2015). "How Kendrick Lamar Transformed Into 'The John Coltrane of Hip-Hop' on 'To Pimp a Butterfly'". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  7. ^ Colter Walls, Seth (8 May 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Kamasi Washington." www.bonnaroo.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  9. ^ "Electric Forest Festival." StubHub.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  10. ^ Thom Jurek. "The Epic – Kamasi Washington | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-05. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "Throttle Elevator Music – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
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